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At Least 17 Killed in Attack on Church-Run Maternity Clinic in Eastern DRC Blamed on ADF

The destroyed clinic leaves survivors without formal care.

Overview

  • The late-night Nov. 14 assault struck the Little Sisters of the Presentation health center in Byambwe, North Kivu, with officials and church sources reporting about 17–20 civilians killed.
  • DRC authorities attribute the massacre to the ISIS-linked Allied Democratic Forces, saying gunmen killed patients in their beds, torched the maternity unit, looted supplies, and set nearby homes on fire.
  • Local administrator Col. Alain Kiwewa reported breastfeeding mothers found with their throats slit, while missionary Fr. Giovanni Piumatti cited 15 killed inside the clinic and five more nearby.
  • Several newborns are believed to have been kidnapped, and survivors are being treated outdoors after the facility was burned and looted.
  • Pope Leo XIV condemned the killings and highlighted wider persecution of Christians in the region as investigations continue without new major security measures announced.